Purdue University has received a $1.35 million grant from the U.S. Air Force to establish a new facility to test aircraft engines and develop alternative fuels. The National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion–which is expected to open late this year or early next–will be located at Purdue Airport in the school’s Niswonger Aviation Technology Building. According to the project leaders, the test center will provide fuel-sustainability and emissions data as well as information for economic assessments.
“The aerospace industry now has an unprecedented interest in developing green aircraft using biofuels,” said David Stanley, an associate professor of aeronautical engineering technology at Purdue and one of the new facility’s principal investigators. “Testing will be conducted while fuels are being researched for development. This means input will be provided during the development phase, not after the fuel has been developed, which helps to ensure the best results possible.”
The facility will draw together university faculty from many disciplines–including agriculture, en-gineering, science and technology–to fulfill the goals set forth by the Air Force, governmental agencies and industry, including the National Air Transportation Association, which has called for 10 percent biofuel usage by 2017.
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